Spotlight: Chelsea Duff

Hi! My name is Chelsea. :) I am a sophomore elementary education student with an early childhood endorsement and integrated science and language arts minors. I absolutely love working with children; to them, the world is full of endless possibilities and new things to discover. It is up to teachers to keep this passion for learning alive and to reach out to every student on their own level.

I am secretary of Education Club, a member of Phi Sigma Sigma, a part of Forgotten Children of Eastern Europe (FCEE), and a part of Glee Club. In the fall semester, I am a part of the 30 Hour Famine Planning Committee. I work as a tour guide in the admissions office and mentor a seventh grade student through the Alma Middle School Explore Mentor PLUS Program. I also meet with the Alma College Presbyterians Bible Study on Wednesday nights at 7 p.m. Last summer, I participated in the Center for Responsible Leadership Ghost Ranch experience. While in New Mexico, I bonded with a group of other students and learned more about who I am as a leader. This prompted me to get more involved on campus and internationally. After CRL, I became a part of two Alternative Break trips including a winter break to Memphis, TN to work with terminally ill children. In May, I will be going on a spring term to Peru to work in local school systems. In June, I will be going to Ukraine to work in orphanages through a P-Global scholarship and FCEE.

Chapel life has come to mean so much to me. My faith was something that I held very close to me at home and there was a small Presbyterian Church right down the road from me. When I started looking at colleges, I wanted a place with a strong Christian community and optional worship. I found that in our chapel and started attending immediately. To go from a very traditional church to a community of people my own age was a refreshing change. I love the music and the way that the messages always seem to speak directly to me. Most of all, however, I love the supportive community. I have made so many friends through Chapel and the Chaplain and SMCs are there for you if you need anything. My faith has definitely struggled since I have been in college, and I am having a hard time defining who I am and what it means to be a Christian. Sometimes, it's hard to feel God's presence which leaves me feeling lost. At times like those, it is amazing to have the Chapel support system.

Here are my favorite Bible verses:

Your beauty should come from the inside. It should come from the heart. This is the kind that lasts.  1 Peter 3:3

No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made perfect in us.  1 John 4:12

I believe in the power of love and truly think it can change the world. My favorite movie is Beauty and the Beast and I love the symbolism in it:  true beauty comes from within. <3

If you have any more questions or would like to hang out, e-mail me at duff1cm@alma.edu. Thanks for visiting the Chapel blog and have a great day!

Spotlight: Teresa Larson

Hi everybody! My name is Teresa Larson and I'm a sophomore at Alma studying elementary education and working to get an early childhood endoresement...I love working with kids! During the last three summers, I have worked as a councelor at Camp Greenwood, my childhood church camp. I'm going on year 14 up there this summer, and I can't wait to start up again this May!

Not that I don't love being at Alma, though! There are so many things I love about being here...rocking the kilt in marching band, going alternative break trips, being a Phi Sig, spending time with all of my amazing friends I have made, and of course, the opporutnities that I have had to grow my faith!

Chapel has been one of the best things about being at Alma. The first time that I went to chapel was the very first Sunday that I was here as a freshman for band camp and pre-term. I had kind of rough summer with the passing of my grandmother shortly before I came to Alma, and I was really looking for some spiritual guidence and God's direction in my life. After chapel that night, somebody that didn't even know my name or anything about me came up and asked if they could pray for me and help me get back on track with my faith. I knew right away that this was a community of people that would always be there for me, and I could always be there for them. Needless to say, chapel has become a pretty significant part of my college life!

I love all of the things that our Chrsitain commuinty at chapel has been able to do for each other. I have learned a lot about my faith and my relationship with God though things like ACCL and going on chapel retreats, and have even been able to improve my Christain leadership skills by co-leading the Presbyterian Bible Study and even living in chapel-themed housing next year! (Which, by the way is, OFFICALLY 327 Grant St, the little yellow house right across the street from the Heritage Center and the silver parking lot...please come by and visit us lots next year!)

My experience at Alma really wouldn't be the same without chapel and the amazing people I have met through chapel...they are my mentors and friends for life!

Spotlight: Barbara Otey

Hello on this oh so lovely Sunday! Apparently winter is not done with us yet! I hope this yuck weather doesn't keep you from coming to chapel tonight!

Here is another bio; this one is from freshman Barbara Otey. Enjoy!

Hello all!

My name is Barbara Otey and I am currently a freshman transfer student at Alma, double-majoring in Dance and EHS. Dance is my passion. I have been doing it for nine-ish years and have done pretty much everything from ballet to tap, jazz to modern, lyrical to contemporary, and almost everything else in between. God has blessed me with this ability so I try to use my talent in ways that praise and glorify God.

I started going to chapel the third week of term. I had been attending a local church every Sunday before that with friends who also invited me to chapel, but I kept forgetting or putting it off. Truth be told, I was apprehensive about going because I didn’t know what it would be like. I’m a United Methodist, and Alma College is a Presbyterian college. There aren’t a ton of differences between Methodism and Presbyterianism, still, I was nervous that I wouldn’t agree with the theology of it, or it just wouldn’t be the service for me.

Boy, was I wrong! I had an amazing time at chapel. God opened up my eyes and showed me this community of incredible people who are the more supportive and loving people I have ever met. Truly, chapel people are the best! They made me feel so welcome, I just knew that I had found a new home at chapel. I spent at least an hour after the service just talking with new people and making new friends. It was such a blessing because I had just transferred so I didn’t really know very many people.

Random fact: I am a preacher’s kid, grandkid, and step-grandkid. My father’s father was the first Reverend Otey (in a Presbyterian church) and my mother is the second Reverend Otey (in a UMC). My father’s step-grandfather was also a Presbyterian minister. Guess it just runs in the family! I’ve been raised going to church every Sunday, doing VBS in the summer, bible study, church choir, and the whole shebang. But it wasn’t until I was confirmed in 7^th grade that I really began to question my religion and what it meant to me. Even then, it wasn’t really until my mom became a minister that I began to feel fully comfortable in my faith and in my beliefs.

I am trying to be more aware now of what God is calling me to do, and it’s a challenge. I know what I want to do with my life, but as my mother always says, “If you want to hear God laugh, make a plan.” So I guess I’ll keep walking the path and listening for God’s direction in my life. But just in case you’re curious, my current plans include going to Physical Therapy school and then pursuing a career in PT for dancers, and then hopefully teaching at a studio somewhere when my body just can’t take anymore J.

A few more tidbits of information about me…

My favorite color is turquoise and I really like otters. I relax and de-stress by coloring and watching old episodes of my favorite shows on Hulu or iTunes. I am the middle child of three girls, and I have two cats (Prince and Kato). Also, I love to travel! I’ve been to Barcelona, Spain; Cessenon and Paris, France; Berlin, Germany (where one of my best friends lives!); Vancouver, Canada; and many states in our home nation. I think you’ve heard enough about me… visit the blog again soon to learn about someone else!

Spotlight: Caitlin Closs

If I’m not in the chapel you might catch me having photo shoots with friends, wearing my kilt to the football game, or crafting.  I’m Caitlin and I am a sophomore, soon to be halfway done with college!!  Woohoo!!  My real home is all the way in Colorado, but I think of Alma as a home now!  I love being an SMC as well as everything else I do on campus.  Being an R.A., a phi sig, and in the band have made me love college!  Someday I want to teach math to high school kids, but for now I’m enjoying college and the awesome life God has blessed me with. 

Chapel has always been one of my favorite parts about Alma.  I love the community and that so many people I know from all over campus are connected at Chapel and vice versa.  Having a community to hold me accountable and help me grow has given me a lot of confidence and opportunities.  I am glad that I took the time to find out what chapel was and then to get involved and feel like my ideas are being implemented.  I have met lifelong friends and mentors.  I enjoy the music and the speakers on Sunday nights and how relevant their messages are to my life. 

I hope that I can give back to the chapel as much as it has given to me these past two years!  If we aren’t friends yet I can’t wait to meet you.  I love meeting new people.  Smiling, laughing, and hugs are three of my favorite things! 

Spotlight: Rosa Vaz’Quez

Hello! My name is Rosa Vaz’Quez and I am a senior at Alma College. My major is music education and I play the clarinet. I am involved in the marching band, concert band and symphony orchestra.

          I started going to chapel because I saw a flyer and I thought I would go. I enjoy chapel because it always seems like I can relate some aspect of my life with the speech given each week. Secondly, I enjoy the contemporary worship because the songs are fun to sing and speak to my heart. Lastly, I love that there is someone always there at the end of service to pray with you. It is so nice to know you have someone who listens to your pray needs and pray with you about them.

          My faith journey has come a long way. At the beginning of my journey, I just went to church every week and that was about it. Now, I try my best to make God apart of my everyday life and decisions. I do not want God to only be a part of my life on Sundays. At the present moment, I feel a calling to be more of a leader of my faith. I want to try to help lead people to God and be a light of God in this at times dark world.

 

Spotight: Elisabeth Wilder

Hey guys!

Here is a new post finally. Sorry on the delay. we will be posting SMC profiles as well as profiles of students who are active on chapel.

My name is Elisabeth Wilder and I am a junior. I am an SMC and you have probably seen me behind the sound board at chapel. I kind of live there and in the chapel. The other place I live is the art building. I am an art education major, which is a lot of work, but really satisfying and fulfilling for me. I love art and being able to express myself and I love kids. I think that children are the future and deserve the best education possible.

I have really grown a lot since I came to Alma and got involved in chapel. I really enjoy being part of the chapel community and worshiping as a body every Sunday night. I also really enjoy small groups and would encourage everyone to get involved.  While here at Alma, I have learned more about God and his calling for me. I feel called to service but also leadership. I know these two might not necessarily go together, but I have found ways to make this work. This year I led two alternative break trips, and although they were not faith based trips, I learned some valuable lessons and really affirmed that I want to be a teacher. I will be going to Peru for a spring term and I am so excited! One major part of our trip is service, and I am looking forward to serving and working with children in Peru.

So, you probably noticed me behind the soundboard at chapel or at events in the chapel. This semester, our old soundboard was finally retired and we got our new shiny, pretty, amazing sound board. I still need to name it, but I am so glad that we were able to get it. It makes doing sound for chapel events so much easier. I really do enjoy doing sound. I like being behind the scenes making sure everything runs smoothly and sounds great and to the best of my abilities. I feel so nerdy when I get talking about sound.

I come from a big family and I have lots of cousins. I have a dog named Emily, who is blind and has only one eye. My favorite color is green. The pretty green of apples or spring. I love spring when everything comes back to life. The trees bloom and everything is so beautiful. I tend to really like earthy things and can relate a lot of things to trees.

One of my favorite illustrations is the tree of life. I like the symbolism of the branches, trunk and root. More specifically the need to be rooted in faith before we can spread our branches.

So...that's a lot about me and I hope you enjoyed and keep posted for more!

Finally! A new post!

Hello Everyone!

Sorry for such a long delay in posts on here. As you may know or have noticed, the senior SMCs are done for the year and although we will miss them, we are excited to continue everything we do for chapel. One of those included passing the blog along, so here goes.

I got the idea of introducing each SMC a little bit on here as well as letting everyone know some things that have happened lately, so keep posted.

There have been a whole bunch of neat things going on in chapel lately. We have had brownies. Veggie tales movie night was a huge hit and we will definitely have another Veggie Tales night. A group of students went to  visit the church that Voices of Thunder attends. There are lots more things that have gone on recently too.

We made a few changes to worship as well. The band has been trying different arrangements and more and less instruments. We even had a violin in worship which I thought was pretty awesome. By the way-if you know anyone who can play an instrument, have them contact Jennafer or George. We got a new sound board which was something we needed, but more to come about the sound board later.

Maybe you noticed, maybe you didn't but we have been making an attempt to be more cohesive. One way we have been doing this is through color. You may have noticed that the announcements, worship music slides and communion table have a similar color scheme.

So...keep following us on here and we will keep posting! Don't forget to tell your friends!